


Hijacked Hijinks

by MusingSkies



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, F/M, M/M, Multi, Not super graphic but I'm using the warning just in case, The squad loves each other, Zenigata included
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:29:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27658184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusingSkies/pseuds/MusingSkies
Summary: From slipping out of handcuffs to bartering with kidnappers, Lupin was an expert at evading capture. When he's finally kidnapped with no means of escape, will the gang (and Interpol's best inspector) be able to rescue him in time?
Relationships: Ishikawa Goemon XIII/Jigen Daisuke/Arsène Lupin III/Mine Fujiko/Zenigata Kouichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 48





	Hijacked Hijinks

The first thing Lupin was aware of when he came to was the inability to move his arms and legs. They were tied tightly down with coarse rope to a hard, wooden chair that he had the pleasure of sitting on. 

His head was pounding and his eyelids were heavy from the after effects of the chloroform. He tried to recall what had happened before waking up and remembered that he had been out to get groceries for dinner that night. They were going to have hotpot, if Lupin recalled correctly. Damn, he had been really looking forward to that. 

Lupin remembered walking down the sidewalk in a remote part of town, before he had been grabbed and thrown into a dark van that pulled up beside him. There had been a brief struggle, before he was knocked unconscious by the chloroform. The last thought he had before going under was how disappointed the others were going to be when he came home empty handed. 

When he finally was able to gain some sentience, Lupin found himself surrounded by three men in dark suits, each touting large guns. Instead of struggling, Lupin decided to stretch as much as he could; rolling his shoulder back and letting out an exaggerated yawn. He saw the henchman on the left jump a bit in surprise at his sudden movement and he took a mental note of the other's jittery reactions. That could be useful for his escape. 

"Ah, so you're finally awake," a large man appeared from the shadows and stepped towards him, the henchmen parting slightly to let him into the dark room's spotlight which shined down on Lupin. 

The thief had to hold back a laugh, his lips twitching slightly into a smirk at how stereotypical it all was. The man in front of him wore a black striped suit with a lit cigar hanging from his lips. In his hands he carried a cane with a diamond on top, which the man put in front of him and placed both hands on top of. His fingers were accented with jeweled rings and Lupin wondered briefly which one Fujiko would like best for her collection. 

"Did you rehearse your entrance before capturing me?" Lupin couldn't help asking. "'Cause I gotta say the execution was flawless."

The man took a drag of his cigar before he exhaled, the smoke going into Lupin's face. Lupin scrunched his nose up and wished he could wave his hand in front of his face. He much preferred the scent of Jigen's cigarettes over this clown's knock-off brand cigars. 

"So you're the great Arsene Lupin the Third," the man said, ignoring Lupin's comment. "World renowned thief."

"That's me," Lupin had to look up in order to see the man's face. "Excuse my manners, and you are…?"

"Your worst nightmare, if you do not do as I say," the man answered. 

A snort escaped Lupin and he couldn't help but grin. The man in front of him frowned and Lupin shook his head.

"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself," Lupin chuckled. "That was just really cheesy. You're doing great, though. This is really making my afternoon. Who knew going grocery shopping would lead to--!"

A loud crack resounded in the room as Lupin was struck across the face with the diamond end of the cane, his head snapping to the side because of the blow. The jewel cut his cheek and for a moment Lupin swore he saw stars. 

Shit. Okay, pull it together. Lupin slowly turned his head back to face the man, his grin gone and face impassive. 

"That's better," the man smiled and accepted a handkerchief from one of his men to wipe the slight blood off his cane. "Now, let's get back to business."

He pocketed the handkerchief before he rested his hands back on the top of his cane once more, his ringed fingers drumming against the jewel's surface. 

"As a world renowned thief, you must have some form of riches on hand, correct?" The man began. When Lupin didn't answer, he continued. "Rumor has it, you have it stashed away somewhere in France. We want to know where."

The man looked at Lupin and the thief realized they expected him to answer. 

"There isn't much there, to be honest," Lupin informed them. "Gotta pay the bills and give my partners their fair share." 

"But there is something, yes?" The man asked. 

"Yeah," Lupin responded, "but I need it." 

"Well, unfortunately, my men and I need it more," the man took the end of his cane and pressed it onto Lupin's chest. "And you're going to tell us how to get it." 

"Not going to happen," Lupin answered. 

The man frowned before he pressed the cane harder and Lupin felt the chair tilt back slightly on its hind legs. Just when he expected the chair to topple backwards, the man removed the cane and Lupin landed back down. 

He had a brief moment of confusion before the man took his foot and kicked one of the front legs of the chair. Lupin and the chair toppled forward until he landed face first on the hard ground.

Lupin gave a grunt as the man pressed his heel into the back of the chair, the thief’s face scraping on the concrete ground as he was pushed into it. 

"Well then, it looks like we'll have to persuade you to hand it to us," the man sneered. 

A snap of the man's fingers and two henchmen were beside Lupin. Lupin felt himself being lifted before he was suspended upside down in the chair. 

Lupin felt the blood rush to his head and watched as the man started to walk back towards the dark edges of the room. He opened a door and stark white light from the outside filled the space.

"I'll be back in 30. Have fun until then," the man let out a puff of smoke as he grinned, then he was gone. 

Lupin scowled and ignored the way the henchmen started to chuckle darkly. Instead he focused on what was more important as he pressed his tongue to his tooth implant: signaling back up. 

\---

Jigen stretched on the roof of their hideout, his back warm against the clay tiles. He had just woken from a nap, but was too comfortable to move from his lounging position. The sun was just starting to set, so it was too late for a second nap. Instead, the sharpshooter patted his pockets before he reached into one and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. 

Just as he was about to put the unlit cigarette to his lips, there was a flash of metal and the cigarette was cut in half. Jigen let out a curse before turning his head towards his companion beside him.

"You can't keep doing that when I try to have a smoke," Jigen told the samurai before he flicked the useless butt of the cigarette away and pocketed his lighter.

"I am not finished meditating," Goemon informed him as he sheathed his sword. "After that, you may smoke." 

"I thought you liked the smell of my cigarettes," Jigen gave a small smirk as he put his hands behind his head. 

"It's distracting," Goemon muttered as he shifted in place, a small frown on his lips. 

Just as Jigen was about to respond, a female voice called from the balcony below. 

"Hey, boys! You up there?" Fujiko poked her head up from the edge of the rooftop, before she rested her chin on her arms. She originally had a smile on her face, but it faded into a puzzled frown. 

"Is Lupin not with you?" She asked. 

"He went to get groceries," Jigen responded. 

"That was hours ago," Fujiko's brow furrowed. 

"Maybe he got distracted?" Jigen waved his hand. "He probably saw something shiny and wanted to bring it home." 

"Hmm...Maybe," Fujiko hummed. "He usually comes home as soon as possible whenever I'm visiting, though." 

"Perhaps he's getting you a gift," Goemon commented, his meditation all but forgotten as he too started to wonder where Lupin had gone. 

"He's fine," Jigen insisted. "If he's in any trouble, he knows how to contact us." 

As soon as the words left his lips, each of their cellphones dinged. The trio exchanged glances at one another before they all reached into their pockets and pulled out their devices.

("Goemon, you need a new phone," Jigen muttered as he eyed the samurai's Nokia.) 

"It's from Lupin!" Fujiko swiped her finger across the phone screen before reading the message aloud:

> _"Hey gang! If you're getting this message, it means I'm in a bit of trouble and need some help! If you could come bust me out, that'd be great. If not, no worries, I'll figure it out._
> 
> _I'm pinging my location to each of your phones. Pops will probably have a better time finding my exact coordinates, so ask him for help too! (I texted him too anyway.)_
> 
> _Thanks, see you soon!"_

As Fujiko finished reading the message, their phones dinged once more and the map app opened on Fujiko and Jigen's phones. (Goemon received another text with coordinates.)

The pin on Jigen and Fujiko's map landed on an abandoned office building on the south side of town, about a thirty minute drive from their location. Jigen sat up and Goemon leaned over to take a peek at the map. 

"What the hell is he doing there?" Jigen muttered. 

"Looks like trouble found him while he was shopping," Fujiko said as she went back down on the balcony. Jigen and Goemon followed behind her before the trio entered their hideout. 

"Always something with him," Jigen commented as he grabbed his pistol and slung his sniper rifle across his back. 

"Should we meet Zenigata at the location?" Goemon asked as he retrieved the car keys to the yellow fiat and waited to hand them to Fujiko while she tied her hair up into a messy bun. 

"Might as well," Fujiko nodded. "He's probably already on the road as we speak." 

"I'll give him that. He was always one step ahead on finding Lupin," Jigen agreed. "Two steps behind on capturing him, though." 

\----

Zenigata gripped the steering wheel tightly as he weaved his way through traffic. The lights on his cruiser flashed while his siren blared, letting people know to steer clear so he and two other cruisers behind him could pass. 

A text message from Lupin wasn't uncommon. During one of their many encounters, the thief had swiped Zenigata's phone during a heist and sent himself a text before he had tossed the phone back to the inspector. 

"We'll be in touch!" Lupin had called that day before he leapt into their small, yellow fiat and drove away. 

After that incident, Lupin texted him every time he planned on stealing another treasure. For a while, Zenigata never texted him back. He figured Lupin was mocking him by blatantly giving his plans away. That was until one day Lupin texted him not only his plan, but a question.

_"Coffee or tea?"_ The text read. Zenigata had stared at the text for a long time before he had decided to respond.

_"Coffee,"_ Zenigata hesitantly texted back. 

When Zenigata arrived on the scene that day, an officer handed him a hot coffee with cream, saying a stranger had handed it to them and told them to give it to Zenigata. 

These kinds of exchanges continued, each time with a new question. Eventually, instead of being an annoyance, Zenigata looked forward to hearing from Lupin. 

The text he got today, though, was not what he expected. 

Lupin in trouble? Okay, so that was actually pretty common. But asking Zenigata for help? That was not. 

As soon as Lupin pinged his location, Zenigata leapt into action and ran out the door of the station. He flagged down two Interpol cruisers to follow him and off they went. 

The plan so far...well, he didn't have one. Usually when it came to Lupin, Zenigata knew what to expect and had time to prepare. It had been a while since he had to think on his feet, especially for a rescue mission. He would figure it out though, always did in the end. 

Most of the time. 

As the trio of cars neared the location, Zenigata radioed the other cars to cut their lights and sirens. He figured startling the crooks wouldn't be a good idea. They ended up parking a block away and Zenigata got out of his vehicle before signalling the other officers over to discuss a game plan. 

The small group of officers crowded around a small laptop that displayed the layout of the abandoned office building. Zenigata's phone was connected to it and Lupin's coordinates dinged on the monitor. 

With the help of their ICPO gear, they were able to deduce that Lupin was on the fourth floor of the five story building in a small room that had originally been used as storage. No windows, one door, and one small vent that not even a child could fit through. Whoever had Lupin did their research. It'll be hard for the thief to slip out with only one exit. 

Then again, it was Lupin; the same man who would dislocate his fingers to slip through handcuffs. 

Zenigata looked up when he heard the sound of screeching tires and spotted a bright yellow fiat come to a halt beside him and his officers. 

"Fancy meeting you here!" Fujiko smiled as she stepped out of the passenger side door. She sauntered her way over to the group of officers, all of whom looked at Zenigata for guidance. 

"Do we arrest her?" One officer muttered, hand on his handcuffs.

Zenigata grumbled before shaking his head. They would need help during this operation and Lupin's gang knew it. That's why when Fujiko nudged her way to stand beside the inspector and an officer, Zenigata let her. 

"Fourth floor," Fujiko told Jigen as she looked at the laptop in front of her. Jigen nodded in response. He had parked the small car beside Zenigata’s car and was now using the top of the yellow fiat to prop his sniper rifle up. 

The sharpshooter peered through his scope at the building a block away, his cigarette that Goemon finally permitted clenched between his teeth. Goemon, meanwhile, had not moved from his spot in the fiat. Instead he sat quietly, eyes closed as he waited for direction. 

"Hmm," Fujiko hummed and she leaned against Zenigata's arm, her head pressed against his shoulder, which caused him to tense in response. 

"Relax, Koichi," Fujiko murmured. "I'm just trying to get a better look." 

"You could ask me to move over," Zenigata muttered, the blush on his face slowly darkening from pink to red. 

He cleared his throat before he said aloud to the team of officers who were watching the exchange with confusion, "this building has only two entry points. I was originally planning on splitting our unit into two, but now that Lupin's rag-tag gang is here, we can take one entrance while they take another."

"We can use the back," Fujiko decided. "Rarely do we take the front door anyway." 

She looked up towards Jigen, who had finished scoping out the building. 

"Any scouts?" She asked him.

"Just two," Jigen responded. "Doesn't look like much of a gang. There's probably fifteen members overall, if I had to guess. Saw a couple people with guns walking the halls, but they weren't paying attention to the outside world." 

"Fifteen members, so three per floor, unless they have extras on the floor with Lupin," Zenigata calculated as he scratched his chin. "As long as we stick to a plan, this rescue and arrest," he put extra emphasis on the word, "should go fine."

The sound of a gunshot startled the group of officers, a few dropping low to the ground in fright. Zenigata looked over to Jigen, wide-eyed, as the other man reloaded his sniper and shot again. The smell of gunpowder filled the air and a silence followed before Jigen leaned back from the scope. 

"I got the scouts," Jigen announced and took a drag of his cigarette. 

"Jigen!" Fujiko stomped over to the sharpshooter, hands on her hips while Jigen who held up his hands in surrender. 

"Are you insane?!" Zenigata yelled. "Now the enemy knows we're here!" 

"Good," Goemon finally stepped out of the fiat. "The faster they are filled with fear, the better."

"We'll be right behind you, samurai," Jigen gave a mock salute to Goemon who nodded before he went ahead towards the building. Fujiko huffed and crossed her arms before she looked to Zenigata.

"Well, it was a nice plan while it lasted," Fujiko sighed. "You better take some officers to follow behind Goemon." 

"And risk their lives?!" Zenigata shook his head adamantly. 

"Then I guess Lupin is going to escape arrest again," Jigen grinned as he grabbed his pistol from the holster on his hip and followed Goemon. Fujiko grabbed Jigen's sniper and took position as back up. 

There was a brief pause as Zenigata considered Jigen's words before he grumbled in frustration and told his officers, "Stay here, I'll go in. Anyone that tries to escape that building, arrest them!"

"But sir--!" One officer started to argue but Zenigata silenced them with "That's an order!" Before following Jigen and Goemon into what would most likely be a shit show. 

\-----

Lupin felt like his head was spinning at this point. After dangling him upside down almost to the point of unconsciousness, two of the goons had forcibly slammed his chair back upright before the third struck him in the gut with the butt of his weapon. He couldn't stop the gasp that came out of him when that happened, much to the other men's satisfaction. 

"This can all stop, you know," one of the henchmen grunted. "Just tell us the location of your treasure." 

Lupin shook his head and let out a breathless laugh, a grin on his lips as he managed, "Not a chance." 

He was punched across the face then and when Lupin spat, he caught a glint of red. His cheek throbbed inside and out, both from the blow and from accidentally biting down. As much as his body ached, Lupin refused to give these goons what they wanted. 

All while this had been happening, Lupin's mind has been going a mile a minute coming up with an escape route. He had realized these people had done their research on him. The ropes that bound his arms and legs were tight, to the point where slipping out was not going to be an option.

He had spotted a vent in the room, but it was so small that there was no way he could maneuver his way through it. Finally, the biggest problem was there was only one way in and one way out of this room, so there would be no way to surprise his kidnappers. 

Lupin was well and truly stuck. 

Briefly he wondered if he should send another message to the crew using the device in his false tooth, or if there was some way he could finesse his way out of this mess, but his thoughts were cut off when he heard a commotion outside of the room. The trio of guards exchanged glances before one went to the door and peered outside. 

The guard was immediately shoved back inside as the boss from earlier stormed into the room. He strode towards Lupin and grabbed him by the collar, hoisting Lupin up towards the man's face. The ropes dug into his wrists as they resisted the pull and Lupin curled his hands into fists. Lupin hid his grimace with a grin.

"Who did you call?!" The man demanded, eyes filled with rage.

"You'll find out soon enough," Lupin responded, his grin turning into a smirk. The man narrowed his eyes before dropping Lupin back onto the chair. 

"You!" The man pointed to a guard that stood at attention. "Get me my car." 

He turned to the other two, "You both take care of the thief. Kill him if you have to. He’s obviously more trouble than he’s worth." 

The man left before Lupin could retort, a guard following behind him. That left Lupin with the jumpy guard from earlier and one that was more stoic. The first guard looked between Lupin and his colleague, unsure of what to do. The noise outside started to get louder and they could hear the start of gunfire and shouts. 

"I'm going to say this before this goes any further," Lupin started as he leaned back in the chair, his confidence building. "If you guys kill me, just know my friends will go to the ends of the Earth to hunt you both down." 

The first guard started to fidget before he asked the other, "What should we do?" 

"Relax, I know how we can get rid of two birds with one stone," the stoic one replied. 

Lupin frowned, not liking the sound of that. He watched as the guard pulled out a metal box with wires wrapped around it from his belt. The guard unravelled the wires, then went behind Lupin's chair and stuck the box to the back. 

He weaved the wires through the ropes on Lupin's wrists before plugging the ends into the device. The metal box beeped as it came to life and Lupin grimaced. 

Of course the guard would have a bomb in his back pocket. 

"Alright. Now, if anyone tries to cut him out of the ropes, they'll cut the wires and set off the bomb!" The guard explained. "If they don't cut it, it'll go off in ten minutes. That's plenty of time for us to split!"

"Uh, you guys do know I'm going to warn them beforehand, right?" Lupin shook his head as he spoke. "I'm not just going to sit here and let myself blow up." 

"...Oh!" The nervous guard suddenly perked up before reaching into his own pocket and pulling out a roll of duct tape. 

"Wait, hold on," Lupin began to protest, sweat starting to bead on his forehead. "I won't say a word about the bomb. There's no reason to duct tape my mouth, seriously!"

"Sorry," the guard responded and before Lupin could open his mouth again, the duct tape was slapped across his mouth. 

Lupin watched as the two nodded, satisfied with their work, before they went to poked their heads out into the hallway. The sound of gunfire was getting increasingly louder the longer they peeked outside. Finally, one guard propped open the door while the other dragged Lupin and the chair out into the hall and situated him in the middle. 

"There. This'll increase the chance of getting two of you at once," the guard said, satisfied, before he pressed a button on the bomb and Lupin heard it begin to tick. The two guards then dashed away, which left Lupin to sit out in the open hall alone. 

Immediately Lupin began to think of a solution to get out of his predicament. Surely someone would come barrelling upstairs, hopefully one of his friends, and have the right mind to check before cutting the ropes. However, that wasn't something he could guarantee.

Maybe he could move himself so that he was facing the wall? That way, no matter what end of the hall someone would come from, they would have to see the wires and bomb strapped to the chair first. 

Lupin nodded to himself, satisfied, before he began to shimmy in his seat. He had to be careful not to jostle anything too hard, so his progress was slow going. He had barely moved an inch when he heard the telltale signs of wood splintering and a guttural cry. Lupin paused, then looked up and saw Goemon appear at the end of the hall. 

The samurai's eyes were like steel as he rounded the corner, his expression cold and sword bloodied. There was a splatter of blood on his cheek, but Lupin knew right away that it wasn’t Goemon’s own. If he didn't know him, Lupin would have been downright terrified of Goemon in this state. He was angry, the thief could tell, and an air of malice seemed to radiate off of him. That was until Goemon spotted Lupin in the hall. He froze, eyes widening, and Lupin gave a small wave despite his bound wrists. 

"Lupin…!" Goemon breathed out a sigh of relief, his body relaxing, and Lupin couldn't help but release his own sigh through his nose. The fact that Goemon was here meant that he was almost free of this hellscape.

Lupin tried to speak, but could only manage muffled words through the duct tape. Goemon hesitated his approach, unsure of what Lupin was trying to say, but made a guess. 

"Worry not, I shall release you from your bonds," Goemon assured him. Lupin blinked, then shook his head rapidly and tried to speak again, but his words were muffled once more. 

"You...do not want me to release you?" Goemon frowned, brows furrowing as he tried to interpret Lupin's words. Lupin nodded and tried to point at his mouth in hopes that Goemon would remove the tape, but Goemon still didn't quite understand. 

"...You cannot stand up unless I release you. It will only take a second, Lupin," Goemon finally responded as he assumed Lupin had been pointing up and not at his face.

Lupin would have stomped his foot if his ankles weren't bound. He attempted to yell through the tape, but Goemon ignored him and raised his blade. Now Lupin was really yelling, his eyes going wide. If Goemon were to cut through the ropes, he'd cut the wires. 

"You are acting like a child," Goemon shushed him. "Please hold still." 

Lupin was not going to hold still. He was screaming through the tape in an attempt to stop Goemon, but the samurai was determined to free him. Goemon hoisted his blade upwards and went to swing down. 

"Wait!" A loud voice boomed from behind Lupin and he jumped in surprise as a tall figure in tan suddenly slid in between himself and Goemon, their arms spread wide as they prepared to take Goemon's sword strike. 

Goemon's blade stopped just shy of Zenigata's nose, and Zenigata's eyes squeezed shut as he expected to be cut in half. Goemon's eyes had widened in shock and he hesitated before he carefully pulled his sword back. 

"Pops!" Lupin cried out in relief, or would have if the tape wasn't still over his mouth. 

"Why did you--?" Goemon began before Zenigata cut him off. 

"He's strapped to a bomb! You could have blown each other up!" Zenigata yelled as he gestured to Lupin. Lupin nodded as Goemon glanced at him then back at Zenigata. The swordsman blinked a few times before he finally found his voice. 

"A bomb…?" Goemon managed, then shook his head. "You realize you jumped willingly in the path of my blade. No one has done that before and survived."

"Well, I'm glad I'm the first then," Zenigata sighed, body sagging as his adrenaline started to leave him. It was then that Lupin noticed Zenigata was covered in sweat. The inspector had been terrified, but he still threw himself in harm's way for Lupin. The thief smiled underneath the duct tape at the thought. 

Goemon seemed to still be processing the turn of events while Zenigata placed a hand on Lupin's shoulder and gave a light squeeze. 

"I told you the only person who's allowed to capture you is me, didn't I?" Zenigata gave a small smile. Lupin raised his shoulders and nodded, as if to say 'I know, I know.'

Carefully Zenigata started to peel the duct tape off, Lupin wincing at each tug. Meanwhile, Goemon had finally broken out of his thoughts and knelt down to take one of Lupin's hands in his own. 

"I apologize for not understanding and putting your life at risk," Goemon murmured, eyes downcast. "I also apologize for not being here sooner." 

Lupin gave Goemon's hand a light squeeze in sympathy and tightened his hold to let the other know he didn't blame him for anything that happened. Goemon returned his grip, then turned his head to watch as Zenigata got close to uncovering Lupin's mouth. 

The thief looked up at Zenigata and a mischievous gleam showed in his eyes. He waited until Zenigata fully uncovered his lips before Lupin leaned forward and pursed them, giving Zenigata's hand a quick peck. Zenigata immediately flushed bright red, his eyes going wide and he sputtered, "L-Lupin!" 

Lupin let out a laugh and Goemon couldn't help the slight upturn of his lips at the thief's antics. 

"Sorry, Pops! Couldn't resist," Lupin grinned and Zenigata scowled before he roughly pulled off the remainder of the duct tape. 

"Ow! Rude!" Lupin huffed at the slight sting. 

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Zenigata responded smugly as he crumpled up the tape. 

Lupin was about to retort when the trio heard footsteps down the hall. Goemon stood, hand on his hilt, while Zenigata put his hand on his holster. The group was tense until Jigen appeared around the corner, gun in hand. 

"Jigen!" Lupin's eyes lit up and the gunslinger's did the same. 

"Lupin!" Jigen jogged over to the group before he knelt down in front of Lupin, relieved to find him still alive. However, his immediate relief quickly diminished into a dark look and his lips dropped into a scowl. Lupin furrowed his brow in confusion at the sudden change until Jigen carefully cradled Lupin's face in his hands. 

"Who did this to you?" Jigen growled, his eyes like fire. Lupin realized he probably looked like a mess and the way Jigen's eyes glanced around his face confirmed it. 

Goemon had placed a hand on Jigen's shoulder and when Lupin glanced away from Jigen and up at the samurai, he saw the same anger reflected in his features as well. Both of them were enraged over the fact that Lupin had been harmed so harshly and they were willing to fight whoever hurt Lupin on his behalf. 

Lupin couldn't help the swell of emotions he felt in his chest at this realization. He should have known they would be upset, but seeing how protective they were caused Lupin to smile softly.

"It's okay. I'm alright," Lupin assured them in hopes of getting them to worry less. "Besides, we'll get em next time. Right now, we got bigger fish to fry."

Jigen's anger switched to confusion at that, and Zenigata supplied, "He's strapped to a bomb."

"He's what?!" Jigen released Lupin's face, much to Lupin's dissatisfaction, and abruptly stood up. Lupin watched as the trio went behind him to check out the device. 

"Damn, I've never seen a device like this," Zenigata muttered as he bent down to look at the metal device. "We only have five minutes to figure this thing out."

"Five minutes? That's not a lot of time," Lupin commented as he tried to peer over his shoulder. 

"Any ideas?" Zenigata questioned.

"Don't look at me," Jigen shook his head. 

"Fujiko is usually the one who handles pyrotechnics," Goemon supplied. 

"Oh yeah! Where is Fujiko?" Lupin asked. 

"Out front, holding down the fort," Jigen told him. 

"Well either she comes here or we go down there because we're running out of options," Lupin stated. 

"How are we going to do that? By carrying you?" Zenigata frowned. 

"Does anyone have a better idea?" Lupin raised a brow. The group hesitated, before Zenigata grumbled in resignation, "I'll take the back."

Lupin watched as Jigen and Goemon took the left and right side of the chair, respectively, before, on the count of three, he was lifted. Lupin couldn't help the giggle that escaped him as they began making their way out of the hall. 

"I never imagined I'd be carried by three handsome men like a king," Lupin joked aloud. Zenigata sputtered again in protest while Jigen dipped his head in embarrassment and Goemon's cheeks turned pink. Lupin laughed again at their responses and the group carefully maneuvered their way out the hall towards the stairs. 

As they made their way, Lupin took note of their surroundings. They were passing through an abandoned business office filled with empty cubicles. He noticed bullet holes strewn throughout the walls and doors cut down in precise slashes. A couple of bodies were laid out here and there, deep cuts and bullet holes marking the cause of their demise.

Zenigata grumbled under his breath at the sight, obviously frustrated at how much bloodshed occurred. Lupin couldn’t help the small pang of guilt at that, but reminded himself that Goemon and Jigen were usually good at not killing unless necessary. 

“Sorry about the mess, Pops,” Jigen said, as if reading Lupin’s mind. 

“Not entirely your fault,” Zenigata responded, voice resigned. “Not much else you can do when getting shot at.” 

“What was their goal?” Goemon glanced up at Lupin curiously. 

“They thought I had a stash hidden away somewhere in France,” Lupin told them. “Which, I guess I do, but it really isn’t that impressive.” 

“A stash in France, huh?” Zenigata raised a brow, feigning innocence as he asked, “Where exactly?” 

Lupin smirked, “Good try, Pops.” 

Zenigata huffed, but let it go as they started down the steps. By the time they made it to the bottom floor, the bomb had only two minutes left. Goemon and Jigen kicked the front door open, and Zenigata hollered, “Hold your fire!” 

A police officer echoed Zenigata’s call and the group quickly made their way over to the police line, Fujiko leaving her spot at the fiat to meet them halfway. 

“Lupin!” She called as she ran over, the three men gently placing Lupin down to avoid jostling the bomb. 

“Fujicakes!” Lupin responded, eyes bright. 

“Oh Lupin, I was so worried!” Fujiko cupped his face in her hands and pressed their foreheads together. 

“Don’t worry, I’m alright,” Lupin assured her, smiling as they touched noses. 

“Well, almost,” Jigen reminded them. Fujiko pulled back to look at him in confusion before Goemon guided her behind Lupin’s chair to where the bomb sat. 

“Oh!” Fujiko started in surprise at the sight and knelt down in front of the device. The three other men crouched behind her, while Lupin tried to peek over his shoulder to catch a look. 

“Do you think you can figure it out in a minute?” Lupin asked. 

“I don’t think I have much of a choice,” Fujiko responded. She quickly began going to work, the group going silent to let her concentrate. 

Lupin fidgeted as the seconds started to tick by, while Zenigata nervously bit his nails. Finally, just when Lupin was about to tell them to give up and run away, Fujiko announced, “There!” 

“Goemon, cut this wire!” She pointed to one of the many wires tangled up in the device and Goemon quickly sliced through the wire. The countdown to the bomb stopped with five seconds to spare, and the group let out a collective sigh of relief. 

“Finally,” Lupin eased down in his chair, the adrenaline from the evening finally starting to leave him. Goemon made his way around and started to cut Lupin out of his bonds. 

"How was it out here?" Zenigata asked Fujiko as an officer trotted over to provide Zenigata with the details. 

"Not too bad," Fujiko responded. "Got a couple stragglers trying to flee the place. A car tried to run us down, but your men were able to take their tires out and blocked the exit with their vehicles." 

"That was probably the boss and one of his lackeys," Lupin told them. He moved to stand up and winced as his muscles protested. Fujiko moved to place a hand under his elbow in support, to which he murmured his thanks. 

"That would explain the man in the tacky suit," Fujiko rolled her eyes. "Poor guy tried to run on foot, but luckily I had one of my knives handy."

"Please don't tell me you killed him," Zenigata groaned. 

"No, don't worry!" Fujiko assured him. "He just took a knife to the back of the thigh."

"Good throw," Jigen commended, then put a hand on his holster. "So where is he?" 

"Nope, no. You don't get to execute a guy in my custody no matter how much you want to," Zenigata told him. Jigen scowled, but reluctantly took his hand off his gun. 

“We already took them to the precinct for questioning,” the officer handed Zenigata the appropriate forms for the arrest, which Zenigata skimmed over quickly. 

“Only three suspects, huh?” Zenigata scratched his head before he handed the forms back to the officer. “Take these back and put them on my desk. I’ll look them over in the morning.” 

The officer saluted before he left the scene. Meanwhile, crime scene investigators had started to arrive to take over. 

“What are you going to do now, Pops?” Lupin asked as he leaned slightly into Fujiko. 

“I should be arresting you,” Zenigata told them, which caused Jigen and Goemon to tense. “But, to be honest, arresting you while you’re a mess like this just doesn’t feel right.” 

“Not the same without a big chase, eh?” Lupin laughed, then winced as his ribs protested. Fujiko looked at him with sympathy. 

“We need to get you patched up,” Fujiko said as she started to put Lupin’s arm over her shoulder. 

“Where at though?” Jigen spoke up. “Lupin was probably followed, which means our hideout is compromised.” 

“Pretty sure you killed everyone that knew about it,” Fujiko frowned. “Aside from the three who were arrested.” 

“We can’t be certain,” Goemon shook his head. “Who knows who these people spoke to about us.” 

“...My place isn’t too far from here,” Zenigata muttered and glanced off to the side.

“Seriously?” The four raised their eyebrows in surprise at the offer. 

“As long as you don’t trash the place or steal any of my stuff!” Zenigata warned. 

“Sleepover at Pops’, it is!” Lupin grinned while Fujiko smiled warmly at Zenigata. Jigen gave Zenigata a pat on the shoulder while Goemon bowed slightly. 

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Goemon said before straightening up. “I will sneak back to our hideout to grab the necessities, then return to the Inspector’s.”

“Do you need my address?” Zenigata offered as Goemon turned to go. 

“I already know it,” Goemon shook his head while Zenigata blinked and then deflated slightly. 

“Somehow, I’m not surprised,” Zenigata sighed. 

The group departed the scene and the majority made their way back to Zenigata’s small home. The sky had gone dark and by the time they walked inside everyone was exhausted, the last of the adrenaline from earlier fading away. 

Fujiko ushered Lupin into the bathroom after Zenigata handed them his first aid kit. Meanwhile, Jigen and Zenigata sat in the kitchen and quietly ate cup noodles that Zenigata had pulled from his pantry. 

Goemon arrived a couple of minutes later, a stuffed gym bag strapped to his back that he carefully set down. He pulled out three pairs of pyjamas before knocking on the bathroom door. Fujiko peeked her head out before granting Goemon entry, the samurai quickly shuffling inside. 

Zenigata observed the exchange before he let out a huff and glanced back down at his empty ramen cup. Jigen raised a brow in question but before he could say a word, Zenigata beat him to it. 

"The four of you really are a band of misfits," He muttered. "You all almost act like a family."

"Birds of a feather flock together," Jigen recited before he put down the wooden chopsticks Zenigata lent him. "But don't think you aren't included."

"What's that?" Zenigata looked up at Jigen in confusion and surprise. 

"Pops, you've been on our tails as long as we've been together," Jigen told him. "I'd be lying if I said we didn't consider you part of the team." 

"W-what?" Zenigata shook his head. "There's no way. I'm not a thief!" 

"True," Jigen agreed. "But I can count multiple times you've saved our hides and vice versa. Like today."

"What do you mean? You all were the ones who saved Lupin," Zenigata frowned. "I was just back up."

"That's not what Goemon told me," Jigen smirked. "Before we left he told me you had leapt in front of his sword to stop him from blowing up a bomb."

"It was nothing," Zenigata mumbled and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck as he glanced away. 

"You shoulda seen the admiration in his eyes," Jigen continued, his smirk turning into a grin as he watched Zenigata's face heat up.

"Long story short," Jigen continued when Zenigata didn't respond. "We care about you and, from the looks of it, you care about us, too."

Jigen put his hand on top of Zenigata's own that was resting on the table. Zenigata flinched at first, uncertain, before he carefully flipped his hand over and grasped Jigen's. The two were quiet for a moment, until the bathroom door opened and the trio stepped out. 

"Aw, I missed out on hand-holding?" Lupin said as he entered the kitchen. Zenigata frowned before he pulled his hand away, but not before Jigen gave his hand a light squeeze. 

"How are you feeling?" Jigen asked before Zenigata could respond to Lupin's jest. 

"Better," Lupin smiled. His wounds had been dressed and he was freshly garbed in a white tee shirt and his blue and white boxers; a completely different look in comparison to the suits Lupin usually wore. Fujiko was in a green tank and pink shorts, while Goemon was in a dark blue leisure kimono. 

"Good," Jigen gave Lupin a light pat on the shoulder before he got up and went to the bathroom to change. 

Zenigata heated up three more cup noodles for the trio before cleaning up his room quickly. He figured Lupin and Fujiko could sleep on the king bed, while Jigen or Goemon could take the couch. Zenigata contended that he probably had a sleeping bag somewhere that he could use for himself, but he'd figure it out once the others were settled.

Zenigata paused briefly at that thought, Jigen's words entering his mind while he wondered why he was putting the others’ comfort over his own. He shook his head but couldn't resist the small smile that formed on his lips. 

After changing into his own pyjamas, a grey tee shirt and red shorts, Zenigata went back to the kitchen to find the gang murmuring amongst themselves. They paused when Zenigata entered, and Lupin flashed him a smile. 

"Hey Pops," Lupin stood from where he was sitting at the table, Fujiko's hands hovering behind him to make sure he was stable. "I just wanted to say thanks for all your help today. Seriously, you didn't have to do this for us." 

"Don't mention it," Zenigata waved a hand. "I told you before, the only person allowed to capture you is me, and catching you now would be a waste."

"If you say so," Lupin shrugged before he clapped his hands together. "Alright, I'm beat. Where do you want us to crash?" 

"I figured you could take my room since you're hurt," Zenigata hooked a thumb towards his room. "It's a king-size, so if anyone else wanted to share, they could."

"Sounds good to me," Jigen stood and headed towards the bedroom, dressed in a black tee shirt and black sweatpants. 

"Same here," Fujiko agreed, following behind. 

"Thank you again for your hospitality," Goemon added to Zenigata before he, too, followed. 

"...Wait," Zenigata's brain halted as he watched the group enter the bedroom. "You're all sleeping in there?" 

Lupin laughed softly before he took Zenigata's hand, which caused the inspector to jump in surprise. 

"You are too, Pops," Lupin grinned. "We're not just going to steal your bed from you."

"You steal everything else," Zenigata couldn't help but mutter as Lupin tugged him along. 

Carefully the five maneuvered their way into the bed. Lupin took the middle, while Fujiko nuzzled her way onto his left side, her head rested carefully in the crook of his neck. Goemon laid beside her, his arm over her waist and hand carefully resting on Lupin's own. 

Jigen laid down on the right, facing Lupin and taking the thief's hand in his own. Zenigata, after much hesitation, was finally coaxed into laying down beside Jigen, his back pressed against the others. 

When the sun rose the next morning, Lupin woke in a tangle of limbs, safe and warm in the arms of those he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been so long since I've been able to write something properly and be happy with it enough to post it. Shout out to my friend for introducing me to Lupin III and helping me get my groove back!


End file.
